Hog feeder



Sept. 29, 1953 w. J. PAX 2,653,571

HOG FEEDER Filed May 7, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 4-7 INVENTOR VVi'ZZiamJPa x' ATTORNEYS Sept. 29, 1953 w. J. PAX 2,653,571

HOG FEEDER Filed May '7, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 x & N

N f INVENTOR WZ'ZZiamJPaX ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 29, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOG FEEDER William ,1. Pax, Celina, Ohio Application May 7, 1952, Serial No. 286,463

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to hog feeders and more particularly to one in which the feed is agitated by an animal feeding therefrom.

It is an object of this invention to provide in an improved hog feeder of the type shown in my Patent No. 2,513,200. issued June 27, 1950, for Hog Feeder, which has a feed pan and a hopper supported above the feed pan so that the feed in the hopper will fall into the feed pan where it may be taken by an animal, a means for keeping the weight of the feed off the agitators.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hog feeder having a hopper and a feed pan wherein the feed is adapted to flow from the hopper to the feed pan under an adjustable valve or plate in the feed pan whereby the flow of feed may be varied according to the desire of the owner or operator thereof.

A further important object of the invention is the provision of an improved means, comprising a supplemental interior cone, for keeping the weight of the feed off of the agitators to facilitate free flow of the feed and increase the ease with which the agitators may be moved.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the arrangement, com-bination and details of construction disclosed in the drawings and specification, and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a top plan view of one form of device embodied in the instant invention,

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Figure 3, as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows,

Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Figure 2, as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows,

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing a constructional detail,

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Figure 4, as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows,

Figure 6 is a plan view of one of the agitators as disclosed in Figure 3,

Figure 7 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken above the lower cone, showing the supporting means for the upper cone in section,

Figure 8 is an enlarged side elevational view of the valve member shown in Figure 3, disassociated from the remaining structure.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the description of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral |5 designates generally a hog feeder constructed according to an embodiment of my invention. The feeder I5 is formed with a hopper 5 for retaining a supply of feed and a feeder pan H from which the animals may take the feed. The entire feeder I5 is adapted to be supported on a base or skid l8, having a pair of oppositely disposed side members l9 which are rounded at their ends so the skid |8 may readily slide along the ground, and transverse members 20 fixed to the sides IE on which the pan H is adapted to rest. Lugs 2| or handles are fixed to the ends of the side members H! for pulling the skid l8 and feeder |5 from place to place.

The feeder I5 is preferably made of galvanized steel sheet metal but may be made of other suitable material for holding the feed and resisting the weather. The upper end of the body is open and this opening is adapted to be closed by a substantially conical cover 25.

The lower end 29 of the hopper I6 is frustroconical in shape, having walls converging inwardly, and the frustro-conical portion 29 is terminated at its lower end with a short cylindrical section 30 through which the feed passes as it leaves the hopper IS.

A plurality of L-shaped supporting bars 34 are fixed to the [bottom 32 of pan I! by rivets 35, and extend upwardly to be fastened to the lower section 30 of the hopper l6 by rivets 36, or other suitable fastening devices, for supporting the hopper I6 above the feed pan ll, concentric thereto, with the lowermost edge of the lower section 30 spaced upwardly from the bottom 32 of the feed pan |l so that the feed may pass from the hopper |6 into the feed pan H.

In order to vary this distance between the lower edge of the hopper l6 and the bottom of the pan H, to vary the rate of flow of the feed therethrough, I have provided a cylindrical valve 3| which is adjustably secured to the lower end 30 of the hopper IS. The valve 3| is formed of an open ended cylindrical body having a series of angularly inclined slots 31 through the walls thereof. screws 38 engage through the walls of the section 30 and through the slots 31. The valve 3| is fastened to the section 30 by wing nuts 39 on the screws 38 so that the distance between the hopper l6 and bottom of the pan Il may be varied by rotating the valve 3| whereupon the valve 3| will be raised or lowered by the screws 38 engaging in the inclined slots 31.

A substantially inverted U-shaped channel member 40 is fixed to the convergent walls of the frustro-conical section 23 of the hopper H; at the juncture of the sections 29 and 30, to provide a rain shield and hinge barrel for the closures 4| of the feed pan 1. The member 40 is formed with an inner edge 42 for engaging the wall of the section 29, and the outer, edge is formed with polygonal straight edges 44. The outermost edge of the member 40 is shorter than the inner edge or arm thereof so the end of the door 4| may be engaged therebetween. F

An elongated U-shaped channel section 45 extends from each angle of the shield 40 outwardly over the rounded upper edge of a cylindrical shield 22 and is fixed in this position by rivets 33, to provide downwardly and outwardly extending closure supporting means.

Closures, 4| are provided for coveringtheieed pan I1 and one of, such closures4| is provided for each straight edge 44 of the shield. The

closures 4| are each of trapezium shape, having a pair ,of outwardly divergent long sides extending radially from the center of the feeder |5. The outwardly divergent sides are provided with downwardly extending flanges which engage in the channels 45, the flange 46 on one side of the closure 4| engaging in one channel 45 and the other flange 45 engaging in another channel 45. Theinner edgeof the closures 4| is provided with a barrel 48 through which extends a rod 80. Each end of the rod then passes through a hole in end plate 6|, which is a U-shaped plate forming a hingebearing for the closures. The U-shaped pla'te 6| is held inpl'ace by the same rivet 41, which holds the U-shaped channel section 45. The rod 60 is then held in place by a cotter key or other securing means.

As the feed is taken by the animals from the feeding pan II, the doors 4| being open, the feed in the hopper flows under the edge of the valve 3| into the pan 11. By reason of the consistency of the feed and the'restriction to its free flow, the

flow is often uneven and at timeseven stopped completely.- In. order to provide for a smooth even fiowof the feed'fromthe hopperl6 into-the pan I1, I have provided agitators for moving the feed in the hopper and looseningit suflicient to permit a steady liow'pa'st the valve 3 Certain other feeders have been provided-with agitators for this same general purpose, .but the agitators constructed according 'tomyinvention are activated by the animal while feeding, thus'provlding agitation of the feedat exactly the time it is needed. 3

As there are provideda plurality .of doors. from which the hogs may feed, means are. provided within, the feeder I between the confines of each door 4| for agitating the feed. in the immediate vicinity thereof. Such means comprise a plurality of agitating members 50 having rods 5| and 52 thereon. I t

Each member 50 consists of a flatbar'of substantially L-shape, the lowerarm thereof being at a s a e t hwn r rmflher bx t lowerarm, as 54, may be held horizontally while the upper arm, as 55, is at an angle to the,vertical center line of the hopper, I6. I An eye 56 is secured to' or formed on the upper end of the arm 55, parallel to the lower arm 54. t

For supporting the agitators 50 in the feeder, I have provided a conical base 5 concentric thereto which 'is secured at its lower divergent end to the bottom 32 of the pan I1, within the 4 edges of the section 30 of the hopper l5, and a rod 58, centrally of the feeder |5 extending vertically from the bottom of the pan above the base 51. The edge 56 of each of the agitators 50 loosely engages about the rod 58, with the arm 55 adjacent the surface of the base 51 and the arm 54 extending into the feeding pan I! from below the edge of the valve 3| and spaced upwardly from the bottom 32,.whereby the nose of an animal may strike the arm-54 and cause a movement of the agitator 50. The rods 5| and 52 are fixed to the bar 55 near the outer end thereof and extends into the cylindrical section 30-01? the hopper I6. The free outer end 59 of Figs. 3 and 7), secured as by rivets H to spaced peripheral points on lower cone 51. To the upper ends of members 10 there is secured, as byrivets 12, a second conical member 13 which overlies center post 58 and all of the agitator arms 55, thus precluding feed from interfering with the movement of the agitators or clogging the space between the eyes 56. It will be obvious that the agitator elements may be readily moved between the spaced supportingmembers '10 in the manner above described and that the conical member13 will afford a'free space'directlyzover the agitator arms 55 and their associated supporting shaft.

I do not mean to confine myself to the exact details of construction hereindisclosed, but claim all variations falling within the purview of the appended claim.

WhatIclaimis: c

v A hog feeder comprising a cylindrical hopper,'a frustro-conicallower sectionon the'lower end of said'hopper, afeeding'pan belowsaid hopper, a lower cylindrical section -on said hopperextending from the lower convergent end-ofsaid frustro-conical section, supporting bars fixed on said pan and said hopper for-supporting said hopper above said feeding pan with the lowermost edge thereof spacedupwardly from said pan, a conical base fixed to saidpan extending convergingly upwards in said hopper, ashaf-t extending upwardly from the apex of said base, a -cylindrical plate carriedby thelowermost-end of said hopper slidable thereon for closing the space between said hopper and said pan, means for fixing said plate in adjusted position, and feed agitators loose on said shaft, said agitatorsincluding a substantially L-shaped flat bar, one arm ofgsaid bar extending horizontally into said feeding-pan, an eye on the upper endof the other a rm engag ing about saidshaft, rods extending froxnsaid other arm into the, said, frustro-ccnical section, U-shaped rods secured .to said first arm and formed with legsextending parallel ,to'said other arm into said lower cylindrical section for agitating the feed insaid frustro-conicalisectionand in said lower cylindrical section respectively upon ing members on said feeder between adjacent closures, said members tapering inwardly of said feeder, said flanges engageable in said members for sealingly supporting said closures in the closed position thereof, substantially L-shaped supporting brackets secured to said base at spaced peripheral points between said agiating members and serving as stops for limiting the movement of individual agitators to a distance not greater than the width of a closure, and a conical deflector secured to said brackets and positioned over said agitators having a space between the face thereof and said feed pan to allow movement of said agitators, said deflector keeping the weight of the food in said hopper ofi said agitators.

WILLIAM J. PAX.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

